Senta Yamada Sensei
first came over to the UK in 1959 to establish a Martial Arts Centre
to teach Judo and subsequently Aikido.

Yamada sensei's
intention, however, when he first opened the dojo, was not just to
teach martial arts to people in the UK but to improve the world around
us, especially those who were suffering and in very poor
circumstances.

He has always
believed that teaching the right mind through the martial arts, and
train people from the young age will help change the world for the
better and help those people in need.

Through his
entire lifetime, Yamada sensei always worked hard to achieve this
goal. This group, "Aikido Aid", has been formed by his
friends and students who wish to carry on his aspiration.

Jita Kyoei
and Seiryoku Zenyo

Where did Yamada
Sensei's energy all come from? In his mind, all this is based on the
principle of :

Jita Kyoei
- mutual welfare and prosperity

Seiryoku Zenyo
- to strive to make the maximum efficient use of one's energy

Kano Jigoro Shihan

Kano Jigoro Shihan, the Father of Judo,
also advocated this principle. What Kano Shihan wished to teach was
not just good martial art techniques but also how to improve peoples
mind and body through training and practicing good Judo. He wished
that his students would become capable of being useful in the
community, gain the ability to return benefit and contribute to the
society.
The idea of Jita kyoei is to benefit not only to oneself but
also to others and to build a society for everyone. If one is capable
of understanding other people's circumstances and becoming considerate
and helpful to others, this will lead to amutual
trust. Therefore, when one attains the real meaning of Kano Shihan's
preaching, they will find the maximum satisfaction when they have done
something to benefit the others and society.

What can we do for
our next generation?

An ultimate goal is
the friendship between countries, peace in the world and mutual trust
between them. The technological and industrial development could not
have been possible without our predecessors efforts. Nothing in this
world has been coincidental or happened naturally. We must bear this
in mind and think about what we can do for our children and
grandchildren to live in a wonderful world.
Yamada Sensei's wish
was that his work would not end after Sri Lanka but his goal was to
spread this idea to the entire world.

FORMATION AND ETHOSWe started the Study Group idea in late 2008, just by coincidence
and as a method of
Yudansha training. Someone was looking for a partner to do a
JAA 6th Dan Grading. After a while, the interest for the grading ebbed
away because the content of the syllabus for grading was in some ways
conflicting with teachings of Senta Yamada Sensei and other early
instructors in Europe.

We hold regular monthly European sessions
open to all black belts throughout the world of Aikido. The
sessions are primarily held in Antwerp and under the
supervision of Shihan Eddy Wolput. The aim is to try to
understand the teachings of Professor Tomiki, Ohba sensei,
Yamada sensei and others who now follow. By continuous
research and focus on basic skills and their applications, we
learn proper balance and posture and reduce some
of the mystery

which surrounds our
system. In this quest
to improve, students from Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Holland,
Japan, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Syria, Switzerland, England UK,
Scotland UK and Ukraine have attended to date. As a
non-political group we work together promoting the true spirit
of Tomiki helping to maintain universal friendship.

In 2013 the
Study Group Tomiki Aikido achieved JAA approval and
recognition.